The present invention relates generally to animal waterers and more particularly to animal waterers of the type commonly referred to as "nipple" waterers which are in common use for watering animals such as hogs.
One of the main problems with the use of nipple valves, as opposed to those types of watering devices which have a container into which the water is delivered and from which the animals drink, is that much water can be wasted if the animal is not lined up with the valve, that is to say if the animal tries to drink from one side of the valve, which is a very common situation. If the animal is lined up with the valve, very little water is emitted from the valve which is not consumed by the animal. However, if the animal is to one side, it has been found that a significant amount of water is lost. This could be very important if the amount of water available is limited; and, even in situations where water loss is not an important factor, it is very undesirable to have large quantities of water spilled around the waterer itself. Such wet conditions around a watering device tends to spread diseases and encourage undesirable bacteria and insect life around the waterer. This condition can also have an adverse effect by promoting rust and corrosion on the watering device itself, thereby shortening the service life of the waterer.